By Asim Ahmad

• His Death

How a person dies is determined by how he lived his life, and how a person lives his life is dictated by what he loves. If one loves Allah and His blessed Prophet and lived his life accordingly, he will see the fruits of his love for them at the time of death. And the last few words and actions at the time of death determines how one will fair in the next world. The hadith states, “Actions will be judged only according to their sealing states [at death].”

The last few days of the shaikh ul-hadith may help anyone previously unaware of shaikh ul-hadith’s life crystallize his views about him and confirm that indeed he was a true lover of Allah and His blessed Prophet. At a time when the shaikh ul-hadith could do nothing for himself and his attendants cleaned him and performed his ablution for him, one of his attendants while passing his fingers through his toes in ablution, started from the left foot instead of his right. The shaikh ul-hadith jerked his foot as if to indicate for the attendant to start with the right. The shaikh ul-hadith was also adamant about the attendants wiping his gums with a toothpick before every ablution. He also insisted on observing prayer in Masjid al-Nabawi during his sickness until he went into a coma on the last few days.

A few moments before his death, he was heard repeating, “Ya Karim Ya Karim.”

In fulfillment of the promise made with him, he passed away in Madina on May 23, 1982. His death on a Monday, the day the blessed Prophet passed away, also serves to tell of his intense adherence to the blessed Prophet and how Allah fulfills the desire of those who submitted themselves to Him at their time of need.

As per his will, he was buried next to his shaikh and teacher, Khalil Ahmed Saharanpuri, whose grave lies adjacent to the graves of the People of the House (ahl al-bait) in the graveyard of Baqi’.